Michigan
18-13-3
Arizona State
8-21-5
Michigan Caps Off Senior Night, Regular Season with Win Over ASU
2/24/2018 11:23:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Captain Tony Calderone scored twice for his fifth multi-goal game of the season.
» Cooper Marody had three points (1G, 2A) and leads U-M with 41 points.
» Michigan finished the B1G slate in 3rd place and will host Wisconsin next weekend (March 2-4) in a best-of-three series in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena)
Score: #13 Michigan 5, Arizona State 3
Records: U-M (18-13-3), ASU (8-21-5)
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 2 -- vs. Wisconsin (Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena), 7:30 p.m.
• Kornacki Feature: Postseason Conversation
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan hockey team defeated Arizona State by a score of 5-3 for the second consecutive game on Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena on Saturday night (Feb. 24). The win marked the team's fifth sweep of the season for the most two-game series sweeps since 2014-15. In addition, the Wolverines are now riding a six-game unbeaten streak.
After ASU scored early in Friday night's game, the Wolverines came out with energy and put up the first 11 shots of the game. Halfway into the first period, junior forward Cooper Marody used his reach to protect the puck and skate by several opposing players before cutting to the front of the net and depositing Michigan's first goal of the contest with a quick shot past a sprawling goalkeeper. Junior defenseman Joseph Cecconi and senior forward Dexter Dancs collected assists on the play.
Just three-and-a-half minutes later with Michigan on the power play, Marody received a pass from freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes and skated deep into the Sun Devil zone. As defenders closed in, Marody dished the puck back to the point where senior defenseman Sam Piazza ripped home a wrist-shot with traffic in front.
Piazza set up sophomore forward Adam Winborg on a 2-on-1 break with senior forward Niko Porikos. With less than 90 seconds left in the frame, Winborg looked off Porikos and buried the puck low-blocker to put the Wolverines up three after one period.
Fresh off of an Arizona State turnover, senior captain Tony Calderone glided into the Sun Devil zone and started off the second period with a short-side, bar-down goal -- the 47th of his Michigan career -- over Joey Daccord's glove.
Arizona State forward Johnny Walker continued his productive weekend by netting the next two goals as the Sun Devils cut the deficit to two in the second half of the period to send the teams in for the second intermission with the score 4-2 in favor of the Wolverines.
Early in the third period, U-M's sophomore netminder Hayden Lavigne came up big on a flurry of ASU chances with the Sun Devils on a 5-on-3 power play that included Lavigne diving across the crease to preserve the two-goal cushion. Later, with the Maize and Blue on the power play, Marody stick-handled through traffic and found Calderone in the slot 10:27 into the third period. The Michigan captain wasted no time before sniping home his second of the night.
Arizona State answered two minutes later with its third goal of the game, but that would be the last of the scoring as U-M finished strong and cruised to a 5-3 win.
After the game concluded, Michigan's six seniors (Calderone, Dancs, Cutler Martin, Piazza, Porikos and Alex Roos) were honored during the annual Senior Night festivities.
With U-M locked into third place, sixth place Wisconsin will visit Yost Ice Arena next weekend for a best-of-three series in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament (March 2-4). This is the first time in the five-year history of the Big Ten Hockey Conference that the postseason tournament will take place on campus sites. Following the first round, matchups will be re-seeded for the semifinals as well as the championship game. Puck drop against Wisconsin is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. all three nights, with a game on Sunday (March 4) only being played if necessary.
Postgame press conference following tonight's victory over ASU #GoBlue ? https://t.co/wSFWMBeNtO
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) February 25, 2018
Postgame player press conference following tonight's victory over ASU #GoBlue ? https://t.co/lKrnw31HZ8
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) February 25, 2018
